This was one of the heaviest scoring Test series - but from the Australia point of view. The Australian batsmen averaged more than 42 runs per wicket, often helped by laboured West Indian fast bowling and slack fielding.Walters, Lawry and Chappell led the way though they had fine support from other batsmen. For the West Indian batsmen there was not the same solidity although they did not disgrace themselves. In the field, however, West Indies had big problems, mainly brought on by the ageing of the great side of the sixties. Hall and Griffith had clearly gone past their best and their Test careers petered out.

The Test series could hardly have been expected to produce such electrifying cricket as in 1960-61 but the fourth Test at Adelaide, which West Indies needed to win to keep a stake in the series, evoked memories of that last tour by Frank Worrell's side.Again, Australia's last pair was at the wicket at the end of the match, holding out for a thrilling draw.

On 10 February the team refused to board a plane in a storm and it was struck by lightning.

The manager Berkeley Gaskin was retired as the Deputy Registrar of Guyana. He and Sydney Abrahams (Jamaica) as his assistant manager/tresurer were appointed on 9 March 1968.Walcott replaced Abrahams later.

Stollmeyer joined the selection panel in place of Gomez, who was not available.

Selection

Sobers, appointed captain on 23 March, joined the selection meeting."They wanted to leave out Wes Hall. I told them straightaway that if they didn't pick Wes, I wouldn't be going either, and I meant it"

- Garry Sobers My Autobiography(Headline Books 2002)

Unavailable:None known.

Deryck Murray was discarded but placed on stand-by in case Hendriks (back strain) was not fit.

The selectors met and chose the team on Sunday 31 March but it was not announced until the following Thursday.

Tour Party Announced :4 April 1968

Not selected : Deryck Murray.

Travel

Departure was from Seawell Airport, Bridgetown, on 12 October 1968.

Findlay flew into Barbados from St Vincent on Wednesday 9 October.

Gaskin, Butcher, Camacho, Fredericks and Cromarty arrived from Guyana on the Friday; Carew and Davis came in from Trinidad the next day as the plane made a stopover and picked up the assembled team, (including the Barbadians Edwards, Nurse, Holford and Walcott) for New York. They were joined there by King and Hendriks from Kingston, and Gibbs and Lloyd (from England on a weeks' holiday).

The tour party left New York on 13 October.

Sobers, Griffith, Kanhai and Hall were already in Australia to play in a double wicket tournament.

The team arrived in Sydney on Tuesday 15 October and, after a day's rest, flew to Perth.

On 21 February 1969 they flew from Sydney to Dunedin for the New Zealand tour.

On-tour selection panel

Gary Sobers, Lance Gibbs, Rohan Kanhai, Berkeley Gaskin.

It was decided at the beginning of the tour that Lance Gibbs would be vice-captain.

Reinforcements

None

Fixtures/Results

† Kalgoorlie

Western Australia Country

Won inns 155 r

Perth

Western Australia

Won 6 w

Perth

Combined XI

Lost 7 w

Adelaide

South Australia

Lost 10 w

Melbourne

Victoria

Drawn

Sydney

New South Wales

Won 9 w

† Murgon

South Queensland Country

Won 6 w

Brisbane

Queensland

Drawn

BRISBANE

AUSTRALIAFirst Test

WON 125 r

† Mackay

Queensland Country

Drawn

† Mildura

Victoria Country

Drawn

Adelaide

South Australia

Drawn

MELBOURNE

AUSTRALIASecond Test

LOST inns 30 r

SYDNEY

AUSTRALIAThird Test

LOST 10 w

† Narrandera

New South Wales Country

Won 6 w

Hobart

Tasmania

Drawn

Launceston

Combined XI

Won 10 w

† Launceston

Combined XI(30 overs)

Lost 6 w

† Loxton

South Australia Country

Drawn

ADELAIDE

AUSTRALIAFourth Test

DRAWN

Melbourne

Victoria

Drawn

† Wangaratta

Victoria Country

Won 9 w

† Newcastle

Northern New South Wales

Drawn

† Gunnedah

North-West New South Wales

Abandoned

SYDNEY

AUSTRALIAFifth Test

LOST 382 r

Dunedin

South Island

Drawn

AUCKLAND

NEWZEALANDFirst Test

WON 5 w

Napier

North Island

Drawn

WELLINGTON

NEWZEALANDSecond Test

LOST 6 w

CHRISTCHURCH

NEWZEALANDThird Test

DRAWN

† Rotorua

Bay of Plenty(one-day)

Drawn

Auckland

NZ Governor-General's XI

Lost 23 r

† not first-class

.

Test appearances on tour

8-Butcher, Carew, Gibbs, Hendriks,Nurse,Sobers.

7-Fredericks,Lloyd.

5-Edwards,Griffith, Holford, Kanhai.

3-Hall.

2-Camacho.

1-Davis.

0- Findlay,King.

Highlights

•

•

•

•

Tour Summary

P

W

L

D

Aban

Test Matches

8

2

4

2

-

Other first-class matches

13

3

3

7

-

Minor matches

11

4

1

5

1

All Matches

32

9

8

14

1

Return to West Indies

The team left Auckland International Airport on the evening of 23 March. Charlie Griffith went to Canada. Sobers stayed in Jamaica, where King and Hendriks alighted, too.The rest of the team (with the Trinidad and Guyana players in transit) arrived at Seawell Airport, Barbados, at 2:15 pm on 26 March 1969 after five months away.Less than one month later, they would be off again to tour England.